This is a review of The Lobby, a blog by the Starwood Hotel company.

The first thing that you notice upon arriving to this blog is that it is visually appealing, and this company has clearly captured a good look and is running with it. The Lobby is a blog that is devoted to the preferred guest loyalty program that Starwood Hotel offers. There are two different ways to focus on the blog content is this specific instance, with the first being on the customers that the program is aiming to reach out to, and the second being focusing on the program itself.

This blog is a rich content environment, with blog posts on a wide variety of subjects including local attractions that locals can experience all over the globe. This blog also gives advice not only on popular dining spots, but also offbeat attractions in many local spots as well. The blog also brings promotions into the mix by talking about some of the specials that are run at hotels operated by the company. This is all content that people will be interested in reading in because it will help them plan their next trip or vacation.

As a whole, this is a pretty solid blog that is devoted to popular destinations, though there are some suggestions that can be made. By looking at this blog and then paying particular attention to the suggestions, you can learn a thing or two about your own blogging effort.

- It would be nice to see more how to and tips articles, such as ‘what to pack when traveling to …” or “Preparations to make before visiting …” with some of the most popular destinations in mind. There are some posts like this, but more just like them would be preferred.

- Despite being a blog that is rich in content, there are no real comments to speak of. This means that the bloggers with this particular blog need to spend more time interacting with their visitors. For example, Starwood would benefit from joining and utilizing Twitter, which they currently do not do.

- Another thing worth noting is the posting schedule. This blog is putting out between 3 and 5 posts every weekday, and that is a lot to contend with. As nice as this blog can be to read, they seem to be putting out too many posts, because unless readers are coming every day or several times daily, they are likely missing a lot of the content because it’s being bumped onto the next page. Posting only once a day is usually more than enough when it comes to posting in a blog.

Overall, the Lobby is a better than average blogging effort with a great deal of potential. In terms of Content, The Lobby by Starwood is worth a 4 out of a possible 5. As for comments, the Starwood blog is worth a 1.5 out of a possible 10. Based on posting schedule, Starwood’s blog is worth a 10 out of a possible 15. As for sidebars, a 11 out of a possible of 15 seems sufficient. This leaves the Starwood “The Lobby” blog with a fairly respectable 53 out of a possible 100, and with some room for improvement.

Originally posted 2009-02-05 05:44:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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If you are completely new to blogging, you may find that you have a lot of questions and at times, it can be hard to find the answers. We’ve compiled the most common issues facing new corporate bloggers and supplied the answers to these problems below.

1. Is this going to make my company more profitable?

Yes and no. It is important that you go into corporate blogging with the right mindset. Yes, it can be a very powerful means of promotion, but it’s going to take a lot of time and success will not happen overnight. The main reason that most companies get into corporate blogging is not to increase sales directly, but to improve their search engine rankings. Often, the result of a better ranking is more sales, but you should not view your corporate blog as a mythical tool that will rake in millions of dollars in sales.

2. What blogging platform should I use?

This is a tougher question because the answer is a bit nebulous. Everyone is going to have their preference, but overall, the most powerful and customizable platform has to be Wordpress. You’ll have two main options with Wordpress. First, you can set up an account on Wordpress.com, where they will host and install your blog for you, or you can download a free copy at Wordpress.org and install it on your own server.

For those that don’t have a lot of experience, the hosted version works quite well, despite its limitations. For those that need more options with plugins and configuration, installing it at the server level is the best option.

3. How do I promote my blog?

Once again, there is no set answer to this question, but there are several techniques that can be used successfully. First, you’ve got to make your blog easy to find on your own corporate site. Next, you’ll need to start promoting it in two different ways, directly and indirectly.

Direct promotion involves submitting your blog posts to social bookmarking and networking sites. Indirect promotion involves leaving comments on other blogs and leaving a link to your own blog inside. This should be used in moderation and your comments should always be related to the post and not blatant promotional attempts.

4. Is corporate blogging worth the effort?

Absolutely, but only if you are willing to spend extra time promoting your blog. If not, then it is a waste of your time. A good corporate blog will take a few months to catch on and you’ve got to be willing to take the time to really work on creating great posts and promoting them. Success is not going to happen instantly, and it will take work. However, you can see a big difference in your main site’s traffic and in public opinion when you really work on your blog.

Corporate blogging is not for everyone. If you’re interested in getting started, it is best to remember that it will take a lot of time and effort. For those willing to make that sacrifice, success is just around the corner.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-09-16 05:43:49. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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